More about hotels in Alsace
Alsace runs along France's eastern edge in a ribbon of vineyard hills, storybook villages and two cities that don't look like anywhere else in the country. Storks nest on the rooftops, canals cut straight through the old towns, and Strasbourg's pink sandstone cathedral spire, finished in 1439, still dominates the skyline for kilometres around.
Alsace is also where France's Christmas markets began, and from late November Strasbourg and Colmar both fill their old squares with wooden chalets, mulled wine and roasting chestnuts. The rest of the year, it's the wine route and the kitchen that pull people back: Riesling and Gewürztraminer from the vineyard villages, plus a plate of choucroute or a thin, crackling flammekueche in a local winstub.
Bases range from canal-side boutique hotels in the old quarters of Strasbourg and Colmar to spa resorts set among the vines. A long weekend or a slower drive down the wine route both work well here, and the choice comes down to how much time you've got, and whether you want the buzz of a city or the quiet of a village.
Where to stay in Alsace
Alsace splits into a handful of clear bases, each with its own pace.
- Strasbourg: the regional capital, built around the Gothic cathedral and the canal-laced La Petite France quarter, where 16th and 17th-century half-timbered houses once housed the city's tanners and millers. Inside the cathedral, a 16th-century astronomical clock still runs a planetary dial and a mechanical rooster that crows on the hour. Best base for museums, trams and easy day trips by train.
- Colmar: smaller and slower, with colourful half-timbered houses lining the Petite Venise canals. Good for walking everywhere and using it as a base for the wine route villages nearby.
- Riquewihr: a walled, car-free village surrounded by vineyards, at its busiest and prettiest during the Christmas market.
- Eguisheim: circular medieval lanes wrapped around a central square, with wine cellar doors open for tastings right in the village.
- Kaysersberg: a quieter wine-route base with an old fortified bridge and walking trails into the hills behind it.
- Ribeauvillé: bigger than the other wine villages, with three hilltop castle ruins overhead and one of the region's larger spa resorts.
How much is Alsace accommodation?
A comfortable double room in Alsace averages around AU$180 to AU$220 a night outside the Christmas market season, climbing well past that in Strasbourg and Colmar through December.
- Hostels & budget rooms: from around AU$70 to AU$100 a night. Simple shared or small private rooms, usually a short walk or tram ride from the old town.
- Budget hotels & guesthouses: from around AU$110 to AU$160 a night. Family-run chambres d'hôtes and small hotels, often in half-timbered buildings themselves.
- Mid-range hotels & apartments: from around AU$180 to AU$260 a night. Better placed for the old town, usually with breakfast and a lift included.
- Boutique hotels: from around AU$280 to AU$420 a night. Restored townhouses with a handful of rooms, courtyards and a stronger sense of place.
- Luxury & spa resorts: from around AU$450 a night. Full spa facilities, vineyard or Vosges mountain views, and rates that climb further again during the Christmas markets.
Top-rated hotels in Alsace
- Hôtel & Spa Régent Petite France (Strasbourg): set right on the canal in La Petite France, with rooms looking straight out over the water and the old tanners' houses opposite.
- Cour du Corbeau Strasbourg (MGallery): built into a 16th-century coaching inn a few minutes' walk from the cathedral, with a stone courtyard at its centre.
- L'Esquisse Hôtel & Spa Colmar (MGallery): a five-star newcomer in Colmar's old centre, easy to spot by its metallic green-and-gold facade.
- La Maison des Têtes (Colmar): a Relais & Châteaux address inside one of Colmar's most recognisable carved townhouses, right in the old town.
- Resort Barrière Ribeauvillé: a large spa resort between the vineyards and the Vosges foothills, built around one of the biggest hotel balneo spas in France.
Tips for finding the perfect accommodation in Alsace
- Book Strasbourg and Colmar well ahead for the Christmas markets (late November to December). Rooms sell out early and prices can roughly double on the same dates the year before.
- Staying in a wine-route village means you'll want a car. Strasbourg and Colmar both work fine on foot and public transport, but Riquewihr, Eguisheim and Kaysersberg don't have train stations.
- September and October bring the grape harvest and mild weather without the December crowds, often at mid-range prices.
- If cathedral or canal views matter to you in Strasbourg, check the room description before booking. Not every room in a Petite France hotel actually faces the water.
- A hotel or guesthouse near a winstub makes dinner easy. Alsace's classic dishes, choucroute and flammekueche, are usually served without needing to book far ahead.
Combine a night or two in Strasbourg with a slower few days on the wine route for the fullest picture of Alsace, from the cathedral spire and canal-side old towns to the vineyard villages in between.
